Maslenjak v. United States
| Docket No. | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-309 | Apr 26, 2017 | Apr 27, 2025 | 9-0 | Kagan | OT 2016 |
Holding: (1) The text of 18 U.S.C. § 1425(a) -- which prohibits "procur[ing], contrary to law, the naturalization of any person" -- makes clear that, to secure a conviction, the federal government must establish that the defendant's illegal act played a role in her acquisition of citizenship; (2) when the underlying illegality alleged in a Section 1425(a) prosecution is a false statement to government officials, a jury must decide whether the false statement so altered the naturalization process as to have influenced an award of citizenship; and (3) measured against this analysis, the jury instructions in this case were in error, and the government's assertion that any instructional error was harmless is left for resolution on remand.
Judgment: Vacated and remanded, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Kagan on April 27, 2025. Justice Gorsuch filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which Justice Thomas joined. Justice Alito filed an opinion concurring in the judgment.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Immigration symposium: Immigration nuggets from October Term 2016 What do they foreshadow? (John Eastman, June 29, 2017)
- Immigration symposium: Lessons for the Jennings reargument from the Supreme Courts unanimous rejection of the governments position in Esquivel-Quintana (Nancy Morawetz, June 28, 2017)
- A "view" from the courtroom: The terms first bonus day for opinions (Mark Walsh, June 22, 2017)
- Opinion analysis: To strip citizenship for false statements, government must show that lies would have mattered (Amy Howe, June 22, 2017)
- Academic highlight: Weil on denaturalization and the Supreme Court (Amanda Frost, June 14, 2017)
- Argument analysis: Concerns about prosecutorial discretion likely to lead to ruling for Bosnian Serb in immigration case (Amy Howe, April 27, 2017)
- Argument preview: Lies, damned lies, and citizenship (Amy Howe, April 19, 2017)
- Court adds 16 new cases to its merits docket (Expanded) (Amy Howe, January 13, 2017)
- Petition of the day (Kate Howard, November 4, 2016)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 08/02/2016 | Application (16A125) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 25, 2016 to September 26, 2016, submitted to Justice Kagan. |
| 08/03/2016 | Application (16A125) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until September 26, 2016. |
| 09/08/2016 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 11, 2016) |
| 10/11/2016 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including November 10, 2016. |
| 10/28/2016 | Order further extending time to file response to petition to and including November 23, 2016. |
| 11/23/2016 | Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed. |
| 12/02/2016 | Reply of petitioner Divna Maslenjak filed. |
| 12/07/2016 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 6, 2017. |
| 01/09/2017 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 13, 2017. |
| 01/13/2017 | Petition GRANTED. |
| 02/09/2017 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs in support of either party, or of neither party, from counsel for the petitioner. |
| 02/17/2017 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Wednesday, April 26, 2017 |
| 02/22/2017 | Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 6th Circuit. |
| 02/23/2017 | Record received from the U.S.C.A. 6th Circuit. The record is electronic and available on PACER. |
| 02/27/2017 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed.) |
| 02/27/2017 | Brief of petitioner Divna Maslenjak filed. |
| 03/06/2017 | Brief amici curiae of Immigrant Defense Project, et al. filed. |
| 03/06/2017 | Brief amici curiae of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), et al. filed. |
| 03/22/2017 | CIRCULATED. |
| 03/29/2017 | Brief of respondent United States filed. (Distributed) |
| 04/12/2017 | Reply of petitioner Divna Maslenjak filed. (Distributed) |
| 04/26/2017 | Argued. For petitioner: Christopher Landau, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Robert A. Parker, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. |
| 06/22/2017 | Judgment VACATED and case REMANDED. Kagan, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor, JJ., joined. Gorsuch, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which Thomas, J., joined. Alito, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. |
| 07/24/2017 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |